Until The Fall
by Sifirela
Summary: The Ronin Warriors are once again called to bear arms, but this time what they thought was their strongest bond will be tested even more as the race to save the human race is more perilous than they ever thought possible. Will they unite or will they fall? Only time will tell. Rated Teen until later chapters due to violence and crude language.


**Chapter One**

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 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing except plot and unrecognizable characters. All rights are reserved to Bandai and other co-creators. Elayne/An belongs to LegendsGuardian (LG)

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The young girl with long dark blue hair marched hurriedly toward the golden gates that screeched open on their own. Blackbirds squawked their displeasure as the girl raced toward the entrance of the castle. Holding the scrolls in one hand, and using the other to brace it against the door to push it open, she let herself in the entryway.

Running at a faster pace and through the vacant rooms, she tripped over her robes and cursed. She came to a halt and picked up the scrolls, muttering some choice words. Finally, she managed to make it through without another incident.

"I'm here!" She said, her voice ringing through the vast meeting room. The three men turned from the map mounted in front of them on a stand. The green-haired man had been in the middle of speaking to his comrades, pointing to the map when she had entered in a rush. Now his finger was poised over a certain place on the map as he looked at the girl.

"Kayura…" He said, relief evident in his tone. "It took you quite a long time!"

"Well, I had an interference." She walked in between the white-haired man and the blue-haired man. Both of their arms were crossed as they looked at the shorter woman with great interest.

"Have you found anything of importance?" The blue-haired man asked, eyes squinting that made the cross scar under his left eye a prominent feature on his face.

"Well, as I've raced over here like Badamon was chasing me, which should be an answer to your stupid question, Cale," Kayura said, pushing the scrolls on the flat surface of the table behind the map. "I've found different unfinished documents on what Talpa was working on before his defeat." She paused and then unrolled a scroll. "See? There is his writing but it's incomplete here, and another one." She unrolled another scroll, "There, it's incomplete too…this one looks like someone tore off a chunk of it…"

"I wouldn't put it past Talpa," Sekhmet said, eyeing the scrolls closely, then shutting one that he had undone. "It's simply astounding that this would be lying around but with half-assed notes…Talpa wasn't exactly the best guy to keep complete articles of old information around."

"Could be the fact that he was in the middle of planning his stages of attack against the Ronin at the time," Kayura said, a frown creasing at her eyebrows.

"Or we're not looking hard enough," Dais said, pulling a hair off his shoulder.

Kayura's eyes shot up to the Summer Seasonal and huffed, putting a hand on her hips. She knew exactly what the Ex-masho was implying. "Okay, pompous ass, why don't _you_ become the one to search for more scrolls instead of sneaking off to the Mortal World to get your fill of trampy women."

"Someone sounds jealous," Cale said, amusement in his tone. Kayura gave a rude gesture that meant what he could go do and possibly die a thousand deaths.

"I'm sorry if I enjoy entertainment that's not demons." Dais said stiffly, "Besides, I don't go after trampy women nor for any women. I'm normally patrolling, as it was in your orders to do."

There was silence for a moment as Kayura looked downright frightening. Dais took a cautious step back, unsure if she would retaliate for such a comment. Sekhmet merely stifled any sound of laughter at the situation at hand. Cale, on the other hand, said with great enjoyment, "I always _knew_ you were for the same cloth. Birds of a feather definitely _flock_ together." He raised his eyebrows up and down suggestively, only to get a mouth full of oranges Dais had obtained from the bowl of fruit on the table.

"Die, you bastard. Diiiiiie."

"Ugh… _enough."_ Kayura shouted above the noises the two of them were making. No one outside of this little group would believe how childish the Ex-Warlords were.

Sekhmet put a hand on her shoulder and smirked down at her, "Leave it, little sister, they're due for another scuffle."

"We have more important things to discuss at this time than to dabble in childish squabbling." Kayura stamped her foot on the ground, then took the staff set on its stand and threw it in between the two Seasonals who were about to have a throw down right then and there. There was a loud clanging and then a burst of light, throwing the two away from each other. Dais hit the table and Cale hit the wall with a _thunk_.

"Now listen, you small-minded cretins!" Kayura said, her face burning bright red. "I have a duty to uphold and you're messing around with my precious _time_! If none of you are willing to put behind your childish behavior and put your intelligence forward I know you have somewhere deep down in those imprudent brains of yours, then I'll have to look for better warriors than you!"

Cale and Dais turned different shades of white and then stood up, dusted themselves off and put what was considered businesslike faces. "Gomen." They both murmured and then set themselves around the scrolls.

"I'm going to look in the library and get some more scrolls and books," Sekhmet said, ignoring his comrades as he saluted the three warriors and marched out.

Kayura took her staff back and shoved it on the stand, and sat down to peruse the scrolls once more.

Sekhmet growled, slamming his fist against the wooden table, causing the others to jump. Squeaks of chairs and protests chimed around. "What's the problem?" Kayura asked, not bothered by the outbursts around the table.

"I cannot imagine why this is all so limited."

"We'll probably have to contact that Koji girl once more. She'll probably have more information on that contraption of hers." Cale said, stretching. They had been at this for a mere four hours and had yet to make any progress in finding out exactly what they needed.

"That thing called the computer?" Dais asked. He had been to the mortal world more often than the others, a little more than Kayura who had gone on trips to become adequately familiar with the modern world. There were many things that miffed the Winter Seasonal, like the loud vehicles that almost hit him in one day. He had given up trying to assimilate in the modern world, citing it was scarier than his time in Feudal Japan. Sekhmet just wasn't bothered to leave the NetherRealm, unless it was to patrol or to visit the exotic pet stores (where to Kayura's dismay he adopted more snakes than was necessary.) Kayura wasn't afraid of snakes, not in the least, but she was worried the mortal world snakes would escape and end up in her bed to strangle her.

"Yes, that one," Cale said, giving a nod. "I wonder if she would have any useful information for what we're looking for."

"It wouldn't hurt." Kayura said, "I'll go. It's about due I make a trip to some shops I enjoy." She smiled jovially. The other three men shifted their weights on the chair and looked uncomfortable. Ever since she had discovered shops for mortal women, she had become what one would call a hoarder of clothes. While Sekhmet had his fascination with snakes, they couldn't understand her fascination with fashion. They chalked it up to being stuck in the NetherRealm for so long and missing out on childhood thanks in part to Talpa.

"Are you sure you won't get distracted by the clothes and become lost in them again?" Sekhmet asked a bit hesitantly.

Kayura stiffened and then laughed, "I won't go to the shops until I acquire what I need, _then_ I'll go to the shops." She stood up happily and took her staff, her step lighter than it had been coming in.

"We'll be waiting for hours," Cale said with a moan.

"Then we can attend to our small needs in the meantime," Dais said, getting up. "I for one am wanting to visit a few areas and see how the progress is going to replace some of these seals."

"Most of them are still weakening?" Sekhmet asked, a frown touching his brows.

"Unfortunately, yes. Ever since Talpa merged the mortal and Youjakai, the rifts have become bigger. And I'm afraid that the little Shaman who paid us a visit not too long ago is right. We've been neglecting it for many years now…and we need to hurry before something else decides to enter our world again."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Cale said with a groan. "I'll go with you and see what we both can do."

Sekhmet nodded, "We'll all go and separate, maybe it'll be better if we give notice to the Spirits that they're in need of making the seals stronger."

"You know how she doesn't like us using those spirts…" Dais said with a frown.

"Yes, but what other options do we have?"

"None…" Cale said, "C'mon let's go….we should be back in a few hours when Kayura decides to come back."

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Ryo stood near the answering machine, his finger poised over the play button. He hesitated in playing it, torn between wanting to hear the voice again and deleting it, something he hadn't been able to do in many years. He closed his eyes and hit the button. A voice shakily spoke.

"Ryo," The voice paused, "I can't speak long. I just want—to apologize. I-I won't see you any longer. I will miss you. Please…be safe. I miss you already." The voice broke as the answering machine beeped. Silence reigned.

Ryo turned the lamp on near his bed where he sat on the edge with his face in his hands. Leaning forward, his mind couldn't wrap upon many thoughts that were starting to swirl around. What possessed him to listen to the voicemail? Honestly, he didn't think he could have been more wrong about this. He wouldn't put her and this new idea that started to eat away at him together.

Ryo hadn't seen her in three years, or was it four? Why the hell did he even listen to that age-old voicemail she left on his phone long ago? It was like the guys' messages barely a year ago he had received on this very same answering machine where he would from time to time listen to it. Getting up, he walked up to the window.

Ryo stood there, looking down at his hands. Both of them held his armor orb and a necklace that looked suspiciously like a jeweled human heart.

The jewel in his left palm glinted in the rising sun. He thought of his friends again. Today marked the anniversary of receiving their new armors from a spirit called Suzunagi. At the time before Suzunagi, the Ronin Warriors were no more, having destroyed their old armors in order to bring peace among the land since they were inherently lusting for battle all of the time.

Ryo remembered times after the battles how his armor always felt restless. Back then, he assumed that his armor knew of more oncoming danger. After learning about the destructive past his Wildfire and Inferno armor had, he began to feel something akin to horror and he subjected himself to let go of his armor and destroy it.

For a time it had pained him, knowing that he, a battle-worn soldier, would have to continue his life as nothing had happened. It had taken a toll on him and his friends. They hadn't conversed for months and though they led normal lives, or as normal as one could who had spent so many years fighting for their lives and others, they could not help but feel their lives were wasted and had no purpose.

Their strong bond had nearly fallen into ruin, to never return. But somehow, someway after Suzunagi replaced their armor, their bond was strong again, maybe even stronger than last time. For the first few weeks after, they tested out their new armor and enjoyed each other's company, however, once again normal lives took over and one year later, they were separated, their bond even more broken.

He looked at his orb, then put it down on the bedside table, then turned off the lamp, darkness reigning again. He didn't feel the pull to put on the armor once more, but another nagging, horrible feeling that if he did, there would be awful consequences that would bring destruction to his very own being.

He traced his fingers on the wood of the table and began to believe that this was just some point in his loneliness that gave him the thoughts of the future. With school about to finish in another semester or so, he honestly didn't know what life would offer him. He didn't care much to pursue college afterward, and it wasn't his intent to move away from where he was now. He had a part-time job and his mother's inheritance from her family that he could pull out if he were in dire straits. His father wanted him to further his education, but what did his father know or care anyway, since he was almost non-existent in Ryo's life. He didn't hate his father for his absences, but he did find he disliked him being gone so much without much of a postcard for months on end. His father could be dead for all he knew and Ryo wouldn't know until many weeks to months to possibly even years.

Shutting that thought up, he schooled his feelings away from the many worries he had. It would do no good to dwell on any of this right now. He had to get out of here before he drove himself crazy.

Grabbing his jacket and an umbrella, he walked out the door.


End file.
